After spending most of the primary season analyzing Republican and conservative voters, let’s take a look at the Democrats and liberals.

Polls suggest there are far fewer self-described “liberals” in America than there are “conservatives,” even though those same polls tend to show that there are more Democrats than there are Republicans. For instance, the latest Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll finds 41% identified themselves as Democrats and 36% as Republicans. Yet only 22% identified themselves as “liberal,” while 36% — matching the GOP number — identified themselves at “conservative.”

That 19-point difference between liberals and Democrats has garnered a lot of attention lately as some analysts have theorized that anointed Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton, if she runs, could face a challenge on her left flank some someone representing the liberal wing of the party. Some of the popular names mentioned include Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley.

But there is a problem with that formulation of the splits within the party, at least where the data are concerned: The difference between liberals and rank-and-file Democrats simply isn’t the gulf some people might imagine. On long list of issues – from education reform to carbon dioxide emissions to, notably, Ms. Clinton’s potential candidacy – the differences are fairly negligible.

On the question of approval for how President Obama is handling his job, Democrats are at 75% approval, liberals are at 74%. On how Mr. Obama is handling foreign policy – 67% of Democrats approve and 63% of liberals.

And there are more issues on the agreement list including more philosophical points.

Democrats and Liberals on a Range of Issues

Issue

Democrats

Liberals

Government should do more to help people

73%

76%

Support for Common Core education standards

75%

75%

Support Obama plan to limit carbon emissions

88%

90%

Enthusiastic about Hillary Clinton as first woman president

47%

50%

So what is the difference between liberals and Democrats? Most demographic measures don’t show big splits, according to the latest Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll.

Among Democrats 64% are white, 21% African-American and 15% are Hispanic. Among liberals, 66% are white, 18% are African-America and 15% are Hispanic. Liberals are slightly more likely to be college graduates and are slightly more likely to live in the South or the West, but those differences amount to a few percentage points here or there.

The real difference comes in age. As a group, liberals are much younger than Democrats – 39% of liberals are between ages 18 and 34, that’s true of only 26% of Democrats.

There may be a few points behind that age difference, but seeing as there not dramatic differences between Democrats and liberals, it may be that the divide is primarily one of nomenclature. People in the 18- to 34-year-old age group may simply be more comfortable with using the word “liberal,” even though their positions are largely in line with rank-and-file Democrats who don’t use that word.

When look deep enough at the numbers, some differences emerge between liberals and Democrats where that age difference may play a role.

The June poll showed liberals are much more likely to say “climate change has been established as a serious problem and immediate action is necessary” – 61% versus 50% for Democrats. That same poll showed liberals are more likely to say that poverty today is more likely “caused by circumstances beyond people’s control” – 72% versus 63% for Democrats.

But even in those cases the numbers largely reflect a difference in degree of support, not a strongly different point of view. In the case of climate change, both Democrats and liberals strongly agree – 80% or more – that climate change is taking place and action should be taken.

Taken together, the numbers suggest that future of the Democratic Party may be more “liberal” but it’s not clear what difference that will actually make in terms of position and policy. And, more important for the immediate future and 2016, splitting the “liberal” and “Democratic” electorates may be a very difficult thing to do.

About Washington Wire

Washington Wire is one of the oldest standing features in American journalism. Since the Wire launched on Sept. 20, 1940, the Journal has offered readers an informal look at the capital. Now online, the Wire provides a succession of glimpses at what’s happening behind hot stories and warnings of what to watch for in the days ahead. The Wire is led by Reid J. Epstein, with contributions from the rest of the bureau. Washington Wire now also includes Think Tank, our home for outside analysis from policy and political thinkers.